Sheet material container for bulk ice cream and other products



June 9; 1931 w L wRlGHT 1,808,975

SHEET MATERIAL CONTAINER FOR BULK ICE CREAM AND OTHER PRODUCTS Filed April 30 1930 Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILBUR L. WRIGHT, OF FULTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO OSWEGO FALLS CORPORA- TION, OF FULTON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK SHEET MATERIAL CONTAINER FOR BULK ICE CREAM AND OTHER PRODUCTS Application filed April 80,

This invention relates to paper and other -comparatively large capacity, that can be manufactured and shipped knocked down with the parts making up the container separated and disassembled, for economy in manufacture and packing or shipping space, andthe parts 0 which can be easily and economically assembled at the situation where the container is to receive its contents, to provide a container with a self sustaining barrel havingan approximate liquid tight bottom closure and an approximately liquid tight top closure.

' With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel featuresin structure, formation, arrangement orqcombination as more fully explained andspecified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof Fig. 1 is a perspective of an assembled closed paper container, showing the preferred embodiment of my invention, portions being broken away at the closed top and bottom of the container, the container being of.comparatively large capacity, for instance of approximately two and one-half gallon capacity. v

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the tubular paper barrel in collapsed folded flat form for packing.

Fig. 3 shows in perspective, the expanded barrel in reversed or upside down position with its bottom tongues bent inwardly to operative position, the stiff inner bottom closure disk, and the two end slip caps, all separated.

1930. Serial No. 448,545.

The element consisting of the barrel 1, of the container is in the form of an open end tube having the diametrically opposite parallel longitudinal bending or fold lines 1a, on which the barrel is bent and collapsed to flat folded form at the factory, for economical packing and shipment. This barrel is composed of strong usually stifl' fibrous sheet material such as strong comparatively heavy or stifl sheet paper board, to provide a strong self-sustaining barrel usually of large capacity, such as several gallons, for instance, two and onehalf gallons, and capable of holding such a load against fracture or bulging, when properly bottomed. In the example shown, this barrel is formed from a single strong stiff sheet having its ends overlapping and secured together to form a strong liquid tight seam orjoint 16, longitudinally of the barrel, although I do not wish to limit all features of my invention to a barrel formed with such longitudinal seam or to a folded single ply sheet.

This strong stiff fibrous sheet material tubular barrel is produced substantially end extension from a, to b, and this extension is longitudinally divided into an annular or continuous series of free end approximately similar longitudinal tongues 2, of substantial length, by approximately uniformly spaced longitudinal slits extending transversely or radially through the portion of the stiff strong paper sheet that forms said extended end of'the barrel. The barrel is, preferably, creased to provide surrounding or annular bending line 0, where the bases of the flat tongues 2,.join the non-slit imperforate body or wall of the barrel, whereby the tongues 52, can be bent on said line 0, to horizontal position extending inwardly into the barrel radially thereof when the barrel is expanded to cylindrical or other operative form.

In cooperation with said barrel, the completed container includes (1) a stiff strong imperforate inner bottom closure disk 3, composed of a comparatively heavy strong stiff sheet of moisture resistant fibrous material such as paper board, (2) a liquid tight bottom closure in the form of a sheet fibrous or paper board exterior flanged slip cap or cover 4, which after assembly with the barrel and said inner disk is intended to be approximately permanently fastened to the body as by one or more staples 5, passed radially through the cap flange and the wall of the barrel where xteriorly surrounded by said flan e, and (3) an exterior top closure 6, in the form of a liquid tight exterior sheet fibrous material, such as paper boar'd, flanged cap or cover, usually a duplicate of the bottom flanged cap. The flanged slip caps 4:, 6, are stiff and strong, each having an annular, such as cylindrical, flange that is of substantial length and strong and rigid in character, and of such internal diameter, as to snuglyand slidably receive its appro' priate end of the barrel with a close running fit, when the barrel is fully expanded to operative load or contents sustaining form.

The container parts are assembled by expanding the tubular barrel from collapsed folded flat form to cylindrical operative form, and the slit extended lower end of the barrel is then collapsed to flat form by bending all of the tongues 2, inwardly, on the bending line 0, to approximatel horizontal position in the open lower en of the expanded barrel. The lower non-slit end of the barrel is then forced down into the upstanding cylindrical flange of the bottom exterior sip cap and pressed downwardly against the top face of the end disk or wall 0 the cap with said horizontal inwardly extending tongues resting on said top face of the cap wall.

The stiff comparativel heavy circular paper disk 3-,,is then inserte preferably edgewise or at an inclination, into the expanded cylindrical barrel through the open upper end thereof, and forced down to horizontal position resting on said horizontal tongues and the central portion of said top face of the bottom cap. This stifl' imperforate heavy paper disk 3, is oversize in diameter with respect to the internal diameter of the cylindrical barrel, and hence must be forced and pressed down to its: final seat forming the bottom wall of the container, so that the disk when thus forced to its final operative position is under tension tightly fitting the surrounding inner surface of the barrel and tending to radially expand the lower end of the barrel into tight engagement with the surrounding cylindrical inner surface of the rigid upstanding flange of the bottom slip cap. The disk 3, is thus tightly held in operative position tightly holding the tongues 2, between its bottom face and the top face of the cap end,by the tight frictional engagement of its peripheral edge throughout the complete circle thereof witlr the surrounding non-slit surface of the bar'- rel, above or outwardly beyond the bases of the tongues 2. The tension of the disk when thus in operative position maintains a tight approximate liquid tight joint completely around the circlev of the barrel between the peripheral edge of the disk and the continuous imperforate non-slit inner surface of the barrel and at the same time the disk clamps the horizontal inturned tongues against the top surface of the bottom wall of the end cap, to maintain a strong'braced liquid tight load sustaining and carrying bottom closure for the container. After the barrel bottom closure has thus been applied and completed, the barrel and bottom cap can be secured together against accidental separation, in any .suitable manner, as by the staples, hereinbefore described, driven through the cap flange and the wall of the barrel above and out of contact with the tightly held separate inner bottom closure or floor disk 3.

As thus assembled, the open top container, is in readiness to receive bulk goods, such as ice cream, for delivery to the retailer for retailing in small quantities at a time from the container, or soft ice cream from the freezer for hardening and storage in the hardening room for subsequent deliveryas required for placing in the retailers refrigerating cabinet, or to receive various moist food products for shipment and retailing.

After the one-time-use container has received its contents, the strong rigid tight friction exterior slip cap or cover, is exteriorly applied to close the open end of the container against liquid leakage and contamination. The barrel is permanently tubular and is strong and still to by its own strength and stiffness sustain and restrain its load or contents of large bulk, although the strong end slip covers with their heavy rigid barrel surrounding flanges, constitute the stiffening strength supplying frames of the completed loaded container, against crushing and end deformation, but the essential ,liquid tight bottom closure maintaining feature of the complete container whereby the loaded container as an entirety is rendered effective under the hard conditions of transportation and handling, consists of the peculiar'tongues of the stiff expanded tubular barrel itself combined with the separate inner disk and the bottom exterior closure cap.

Without desiring to limit all features of my invention to the exact disclosure hereof:

What I claim is 1. A paper container embodying a tubular barrel of stiff strong sheet fibrous material having a lower end extension longitudinally slit to form an annular series,of longitudinal tongues, said barrel creased to expand from fiat collapsed form to operative tubular form; bottom and top paper material exterior slip covers to exteriorly receive and tightly cover the otherwise open' ends of the expanded barrel; and a separately formed stifl' oversize paper material disk to form the inner bottom floor of the container and tightly press and expand the lower end of the expanded barrel against the surrounding rigid flange of the bottom .slip cover and clamp the tongues of the body against the end wall of the bottom cover.

, 2. A paper container embodying separate top and bottom annularly flanged exterior slip closures; a barrel formed to collapse and fold to flat form and to expand to operative tubular form and at its lower end having an annular series of longitudinal free end tongues formed to fold to extend transverse- 1y into the open bottom of the barrel when expanded; and a separately formed st-ifl' imperforate inner closure disk of over large diameter for forcing into the barrel when expanded and fitted into the bottom closure with the barrel tongues resting on the end wall of the closure, to tightly rest on said tongues and said wall and drive the surrounding barrel wall outwardly against the surrounding bottom closure flange.

3. A sheet paper material container embodying a tight bottomsli cap having a rigid upstanding annular of stilt strong sheet paper material expanded to tubular form with its lower end within said flange and resting on the end wall of said cap and formed with an annular series of free end tongues extending inwardly on said wall; and a separately formed stifi imperforate sheet paper material disk forced downin said barrel and against said tongues and end wall with its peripheral edge held under tension-tightly against the surrounding inner surface of the barrel and expanding the barrel within and against the inner surface of said flange.

and resting onthe end wall of the cap andthe non-slit lower end of the barrel snugly surrounded by the cap flange; inserting a stifl imperforate over size sheet fibrous material inner closure disk through the open upper end of said tubular barrel and forcing the same down in said barrel tightly against said tongues and the end wall of said cap with the peripheral edge of the disk tightly engagin the surrounding barrel wall and expan g thesame against the surrounding cap flange; and securing the cap flange to the barrel end surrounded thereby against slipping therefrom when the barrel is loaded.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Fulton, New York, this 28th day of April, 1930.

WILBUR L. WRIGHT.

ange; a barrel. 

